Public urged to give Governor Sjachriel a chance

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Former South Kalimantan governor M. Said said on Friday in Banjarmasin that the public should give Governor M. Sjachriel Darham a chance to improve his performance, instead of demanding that he step down.

"If he confesses his mistakes, apologizes to the public and promises not to repeat his mistakes, I think it would be wise if we gave him a chance, so it would not be necessary for him to resign," Said was quoted by Antara as saying in Banjarmasin on Friday.

Said, also a member of The Regional Autonomy Advisory Board (DPOD), explained that he could understand that the public were angry with the governor for his ignorance of their wishes.

He, however, said it would set a bad precedence for the next governors if the public forced Sjahriel to step down.

"It would be hard for the next governor because he would be forced to give up his position if he makes trivial mistakes, even though their terms of office have yet to expire," he said.

An alliance of nongovernmental organizations, students associations and mass organizations demanded Sjachriel, whose term of office will end in 2005, to step down after he unveiled his accountability speech before the South Kalimantan legislative council recently.

They also rejected the governor's accountability speech, saying the latter committed many errors over the last two years.

His critics slammed the governor for his controversial policy on the Barito River project, coal mining and the province's protected national parks.

He was much criticized for allowing coal mining to take place inside a protected forest area near the provincial capital of Bandjarmasin.

Said added the provincial legislature should be sensitive and attentive to the public's wishes, because based on the rules, only they had the right to assess the governor's performance.

Meanwhile, an analyst who requested anonymity, said it was impossible to overthrow Sjachriel because he had gathered support from many parties.

"It will materialize if there is a mixture of political conspiracy and criminal charges like corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN)," he said.

Sjachriel will definitely be overthrown from his chair if the criminal charges stand, according to the political and legal analyst.

"That's why law enforcers like the police and prosecutors should actively participate in the movement, otherwise it will prove useless," he said.

When asked about this, Governor Sjachriel only said: "In the realm of politics, there is no eternal friend or foe," he said.